Just Do it!

Early this morning, as I read through my One Year Bible, I came across some rather unexpected and convicting words from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. Now I say "unexpected," because, to be honest, I tend to sort of "skim" through some--or actually a fair amount--of this challenging book. I know this reveals terrible shallowness on my part, but Ezekiel is filled with a lot of unusual and mystifying imagery as well as a fair amount of doom, death, and destruction. So, to my shame, being a poor Bible scholar, I read Ezekiel, but sometimes only half-heartedly pay attention in an effort to keep moving and get to the "good stuff."

I'm betting that right about now you're thinking maybe you'd better just stop reading this fluffy, shallow blog right now! And if so, I don't blame you, but, heck, I'm just being honest here. Seriously, if you're anything like me, sometimes you read some of those Old Testament prophets, and think, "Good grief! I think it's time to flip to Philippians!" (which in my humble opinion, is always a great option, since it is such a jewel! Thank you, Lord and Paul!)

As usual, I digress.

But this morning, as I was reading the Lord's word to the prophet Ezekiel about the fall and utter destruction of Jerusalem, I came across these words: "As for you, son of man [referring to the prophet Ezekiel], your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.' My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice." (Ezekiel 33:30-32)

Busted. Not just the faithless Israelites, sadly, but yours truly. How often does this describe me? I listen to a message--whether a sermon or a Bible study lecture or a passage from the Bible--and talk about how great it was, how encouraging or convicting or enlightening, how important and life-changing, blah, blah, blah, but then God's Word to me makes no difference in my life, because I fail to put it into practice. If we're not living it, putting it into practice in our daily, routine, regular days, then it doesn't matter how many great Christian books or blogs we're reading or how many hours we spend reading God's Word or how many church activities we're engaging in--we've got to LIVE it, aka OBEY what we hear.

I love how James--good old James, so practical, so real!--puts it: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." (James 1:22-27)

Now, there are plenty of times I want to forget what I looked like in the mirror, but the point here is, don't be foolish! Only a fool looks in a mirror and immediately forgets what she just saw. Rather, God calls us to live wisely and intentionally and blessedly by hearing His Word and then putting it into practice--as the Nike slogan says, "Just DO it."

I tend to forget everything. Truly. I have the memory of a gnat--although that may be unfair to gnat species. But I've found if I do something with or about what I've just heard, I will remember it. Jot down notes, repeat somebody's name several times, act on something immediately when I suddenly remember it by doing whatever is needed then and there. You know, there's just no substitute for obedience and simply doing whatever God tells us to do.

I have a confession to make. Unfortunately, I am a very (and I mean VERY) mediocre cook. Yes, it's sad but true, since no one enjoys eating more than I do, but my cooking prowess is less than legendary. I tend to cook the same boring things over and over again--typically involving some variation of chicken which my whole family is sick of, but what choice do they have? But here's the thing, I really really want to be a great cook. I own myriads of cookbooks--I'm a sucker for the latest book, since surely this will solve my dilemma and enable me to cook gourmet, nutritious meals that my family will actually eat (of course, we all know this is a lie from the enemy since all of my family would not eat the cooking of Martha Stewart, Paula Deene, or Giada whatever-her-name even if they perfectly prepared their favorite meals for us in our kitchen). I dream of being a great cook, with my family gathered around the table, lingering, laughing, talking and LOVING my delicious cooking. In pursuit of my dream of being a great cook, I cut out recipes, I buy cookbooks, I read the cooking blog of "The Pioneer Woman," I jot down recipes from friends.

But here's the problem--most of the time, I don't actually cook the recipes I cut out or jot down or read! I just plan to cook them, sometimes even purchase the ingredients I need to make them--but then fail to do so. I continue to collect them in a big pile until it's time to clean out clutter and then, "whoosh" out they go into the recycle bin! Forgotten. I'm sure they would have been delicious, but we'll never know because they weren't tried and found wanting... they were simply untried and thus found useless.

Sigh. Forgive me, Lord, for so often being a hearer and not a doer.

I know that You tell me not to complain: "Do all things without grumbling or questioning," (Phil.2:14) but how often I forget to put this into practice and find myself complaining about the weather or my team losing or my aching back. I know that You command me to be overflowing with thankfulness and to "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say 'Rejoice." (Phil.4:4) But instead, I grow complacent with your manifold, extravagant grace and goodness to me--shame on me--and therefore find myself discouraged and defeated. I know You exhort us to love and serve others: "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 2:3-5) But how often I forget--or just plain fail--to love and serve with self-abandon and self-sacrifice, and thus forfeit the joy and peace and fruitfulness that comes from truly and obediently loving and serving as our Lord Jesus did over and over and over.

So, the time has come to stop just talking about it. Stop just thinking about it. Stop just discussing it. And start doing it. Of course, I can't, you can't, actually "do" it--only God has the power to truly and consistently put it all into practice. But for this we have Jesus! We have His Holy Spirit within us, enabling us not only to talk about being thankful, but actually choosing gratitude in any and every circumstance, not matter how difficult or disappointing. He gives us the power not only to read about agape love or talk about how nice it would be if we would love sacrificially, but to actually DO it. To love like Jesus, because we have His Spirit within us, loving in us and through us.

I'm tired of collecting good recipes. It's high time I started cooking those recipes I've got! Who knows: maybe there's a Martha Stewart (less the perfectionistic streak) trapped deep--waaaaaaay deep--inside me. But I'll never know unless and until I start putting into practice what I'm reading and hearing. Time to start doing what we know. And then watching how the Lord will go to work doing what we cannot. Can you imagine: if we all starting living out our faith, daily doing what we know and believe, how we could turn this world upside down for Him, for good, and for His glory?!

Get cooking! Let's do it! Let's roll! In other words, the time is now to put what you believe and know into practice in your everyday life. Just do it! To God, the One who wills us and enables us to do all He commands, all for His glory and all by His grace--to our Great Gracious God be all the glory.